Description

Cast of Collaborative Communication Characters

Those shared by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, founder of Nonviolent Communication:

• Giraffe – when we embody a giraffe, our intention is to connect, to understand ourselves and the other. We observe carefully, listen for feelings and needs, and make requests. We take self-responsibility for our feelings. The needs of others matter as deeply to us as our own needs.  We listen with presence and express ourselves with compassion.  The giraffe listens for feelings in needs, even if others’ behaviours or words or our own internal dialogue is difficult to receive.  Giraffes are aware that everything anyone does is to meet a need.
• Jackal – when we embody a jackal, we care deeply. Our deep caring may be disguised in criticism, evaluations, physical aggression and in other ways that do not fully embody all our needs and those of others and that may be difficult to receive.  We may demand, diagnose, deny responsibility, or communicate that we deserve something (the 4 Ds of disconnection identified by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg).  We are not present to our needs and to the needs of others and therefore express these in tragic, less life-serving ways.  We are less likely to have our needs met.

Those created by Elke Haggerty (Jackal “Cousins”):

• Should Otter – Our Should Otter says that we ott-er (ought-ta / ought to) do this and ott-er do that. When we “should” ourselves or others, we are not honouring our ability to choose from a place of clarity about our needs.  The should otter offers a fun reminder to consider underlying needs so we can make conscious choices.  We can transform “should” into “I choose to” or “I choose not to.”  This empowers us and helps us to take responsibility for our choices.
• Stratapus has angelic intentions and does anything but empathize. Like his jackal cousins, Stratapus is either asking for help or offering it; it’s just hard to hear, such as advising, dismissing, and storytelling.

The Two Sides

I have made both the front and the back of the puppets because we can empathize with ourselves and others.  We can also “jackal” or “should” ourselves and others or subject ourselves or others to Stratapus’ many strategies instead of offering empathy.